Posts by Deidre Harris:

Welcome to a new episode of Free Teacher PD: Part 2 of Office 365 for Education, An Overview, with Letia Cooper

Letia Cooper is a 1998 graduate of South Carolina State University and a 2008 graduate of Grand Canyon University with a M.Ed. in Instructional Technology. She currently works for the Beaufort County School District (South Carolina) as an Instructional Technology Specialist for grades K-12.

Letia has presented at various conferences such as SC Edtech, NCTIES, SCEA Common Core, GAETC, FETC, Livebinders and Classroom 2.0. Her motto is that “when technology is integrated into the classroom, all students are motivated to learn.”

You can learn more about Letia at her blog at www.techwithtia.com and, when there, remember to download one of her free really clever “website of the month” calendars for teachers and students.

Full Video Recording Here:

Welcome to a new episode of Free Teacher PD: Part 1 of Office 365 for Education, An Overview, with Letia Cooper

Would you like to have access to your Microsoft Office programs and documents from anywhere and with any device?

Office 365 for Education allows you to do just that – it gives teachers and students access to the Microsoft Office Suite of programs at any time and from anywhere. And perhaps most importantly, since it is available for Windows PCs and tablets, as well as for Mac, iOS, Android, and Blackberry devices – you can access it using almost any device.

In this podcast episode, and Part 2 which follows, join Letia Cooper as she provides an overview of Office 365 for Education. She will discuss some of the options and features it offers and provides, including free email, website building, online document editing, and cloud storage.

In addition, Letia will share how you or your students can use the online calendar to keep track of assignments or appointments. She will also cover how you can use Office 365 to collaborate with colleagues and peers in real time.

Please join Letia to learn about many of the great features and benefits that Office 365 for Education has to offer students and educators.

Full Video Recording Here:

Welcome to a new episode of Free Teacher PD: Part 2 of Using QR Codes to Engage Students, with Carol Nelson.

Carol Nelson describes herself as an Instructional Technologist. She teaches elementary methods courses and the Instructional Media and Technology course for pre-service teachers.

In addition, Carol is the Technology Specialist at a private K-12 school. Carol received her Master’s degree in Curriculum and Instruction from Wichita State University, along with an Educational Technology Certification.

Prior to her post-graduate work, she worked as a 6th-grade middle school teacher and started her teaching career as a 2nd-grade elementary teacher. Her career in education has provided her with experience with all grades, kindergarten through college, as well as experience in both private and public school settings. Carol is passionate about teaching, learning, and technology.

Her technology passion is evident as she presents both online and in person.

Full Video Recording Here:

Welcome to a new episode of Free Teacher PD: Part 1 of Using QR Codes to Engage Students, with Carol Nelson.

Quick Response codes, or QR codes, have sometimes been referred to barcodes on steroids. These small digitized squares are used for storing encoded information into a small, two-dimensional space that can be read by Smartphones and other handheld devices, such as iPads, web cameras, or QR readers. Originally they were used in the automotive industry, but QR codes are not just for car parts anymore.

In this and the next podcast episode, you will discover how to create QR codes to use in your classroom.

Simple, free QR generators allow you to create codes that can link to YouTube, text, SMS, email, URLs, and more. Learn how this technology can be used to engage students in a variety of learning activities and resources, such as scavenger hunts, checking answers, providing supplemental materials or tutorials, promoting school or class events, and a host of other applications.

QR codes are a great way to integrate technology with a real-world application.

Full Video Recording Here:

Welcome to a new episode of Free Teacher PD: Part 2 of Prevent or Defuse Bullying, Strategies for Reining in Bullying, with Susan Brooks-Young
Susan Brooks-Young is an experienced educator, having spent 23 years in education as a classroom teacher (in grades pre-K to eighth) and as an administrator (an assistant principal, principal, and technology specialist).
She has written hundreds of articles and several books about using instructional technology in schools. Susan is interested in the use of mobile technologies for teaching and learning, and is currently working on several mobile touch technology projects. Currently she is an educational speaker who offers training both in the U.S. and internationally.
Let’s get learning!

Welcome to a new episode of Free Teacher PD: Part 1 of Prevent or Defuse Bullying, Strategies for Reining in Bullying, with Susan Brooks-Young.

How many times have you heard a child counseled to ignore being picked on, to toughen up, or to fight back?

Many adults often fail to understand the impact bullying has on a child, and some may view it as a rite of passage. Even adults who empathize with a victim tend to shift the responsibility for correcting the situation onto the victim by suggesting that he or she change his or her behavior to make the bullying subside?

Please join me in welcoming Susan Brooks-Young as she explores tactics for identifying instances of bullying, challenges adults face when defusing and/or preventing bullying, and common strategies and tactics that can be used to rein in bullying.

Full Video Recording Here:

Welcome to a new episode of Free Teacher PD: Part 2 of Facilitate a Writing Workshop Using Google Docs, with Susan Oxnevad.

Susan Oxnevad is an educator, EdTech consultant and designer who is passionate about using technology as a tool for learning.

Susan has been a classroom teacher and an active instructional technology facilitator in the Chicagoland area for more than two decades. She provides professional development for busy teachers via a variety of online and in-person opportunities.

Susan writes about thoughtful ways to incorporate technology as an efficient and effective tool for learning on her own blog, Cool Tools for 21st Century Learners, and as a SmartTeacher on GettingSmart.com. Of course, you can always follow her on Twitter @soxnevad .

Full Video Recording Here:

Welcome to a new episode of Free Teacher PD: Part 1 of Facilitate a Writing Workshop Using Google Docs, with Susan Oxnevad.

How would you like you like to improve your students’ writing skills along with their technology skills? In this podcast episode, and the one which follows, you will learn how to utilize the many features available in Google Docs to facilitate a digital writing workshop and maximize writing instruction in the 24/7 classroom.

Please join me to welcome Susan Oxnevad as she covers how to:

Use sharing and commenting tools combined with cooperative grouping strategies to provide students with immediate feedback.

Help students improve writing skills by teaching them to use the integrated reference and writing tools available.

Monitor student progress using the revision history feature.

Put the tools together to enjoy the benefits of using these online digital writing tools to support all learners.

Welcome to a new episode of Free Teacher PD: Part 2 of Improve Creativity and Critical Thinking with Problem-Based Learning, with Melissa Edwards

As a teacher, gifted education specialist, instructional technologist, blogger and learning facilitator, Melissa Edwards has seen ways in which creative thinking skills can make connections for learning.

She believes there is creativity in each of us and we just need to figure out the best ways to let it out! Melissa also believes that for technology to be most effectively used in the classroom there has to be a curriculum reason to support it.

Melissa likes to share things that appeal to a multitude of learning styles and which can be used to allow for differentiated instruction at all levels. She also enjoys reaching out and connecting with other educators through various blogs, including her own, “Figuring Out How the Pieces Fit.”

Welcome to a new episode of Free Teacher PD: Part 1 of Improve Creativity and Critical Thinking with Problem-Based Learning, with Melissa Edwards.

Are you looking for ways to engage all of your students and stretch their thinking? Would you like to cultivate their creativity and reinforce their critical thinking skills?

Problem-Based Learning (PBL) is a strategy that plays to the strengths of all students, from gifted to struggling, while still providing the challenges needed for learning to happen.

Our speaker today, Melissa Edwards, takes a look at the critical and creative thinking skills that can be addressed using PBL.

She also shares some PBL resources and examples of projects that you can use in your classroom. While the examples covered will focus primarily on elementary students, they can be easily adapted and used with students in a variety of subjects and grade levels.